A Band of Four (RWBY AU)
by Kerrigor2
Summary: Now that Ruby and Yang have made it into Beacon, the pair set out to take the world by storm.
1. Chapter 1

Ruby closed her eyes and rolled her head around, popping the joints in her neck. She leant her head back against the seat back behind her and yawned. The train sped along, approaching Vale quickly. The trip had been several hours long, and Ruby had fallen asleep as soon as the train had pulled out of the station. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as she glanced over at Yang.

Yang sat in the seat next to Ruby, wearing her yellow, flame emblazoned head phones. Ruby could hear the low drone of the music Yang was listening to, she also recognised the song. Yang looked out the window, nodding her head to the music. She had Ember and Celica in her hands and was using them to rhythmically beat the seat in front of her in time with the music.

Yang glanced over, noticing Ruby was finally awake.  
>"Oh, hey sis!" she said as she pulled off her head phones. "Did you have a nice nap?"<br>"How long was I asleep for?" Ruby moaned. Her mind was still a haze. She hadn't had time to fully wake up yet.  
>"About four hours." Yang replied with a grin. "You missed the snack cart at least three times." Ruby let out a quiet groan.<br>"I was looking forward to having a cookie."  
>"Just because Uncle Qrow isn't here to tell you off, doesn't mean you should start binging on sweets."<p>

Ruby poked her tongue out at Yang as she reached for her bag on the floor. Yang shrugged and replaced her headphones over her ears. The drone of her music started again as she put them on. Ruby pulled out her own headphones and placed them on her head. She scrolled through her music library, searching for anything to listen to.

She scrolled down until a song title caught her eye: _From the Outside. _She selected it and leant back, closing her eyes once more. She turned the volume up as the introductory drums began rolling through her ears. She immediately turned it back down slightly when the guitars joined the fray. Ruby never usually listened to heavy metal music, but Yang had all but forced her to listen to this band in particular. And, despite Ruby's usual distaste for the genre, she found herself enjoying them. The music carried Ruby away from the train, away from the anxiety that was filling her. She let herself drift along the tides of the song.

The train jostled slightly and began to slow down. Ruby looked out the window, over Yang's head, hoping for a glimpse of Beacon. She thought she could pick out the spires of the school over the tops of the other buildings, but the train was still moving too fast to be sure. She glanced up at the luggage rack above her head, checking Crescent Rose was still there.

Ruby looked back out the window, her head bobbing in time with the music that blared through her headphones. She found her fingers moving through the air, pressing on and picking imaginary strings. She closed her eyes, imagining Crescent Rose in her hands, and a smile crept over her face.

She opened her eyes as the song ended, just as the train jerked to a halt. Yang pulled her headphones off, beginning to stand up. She nudged Ruby to her feet, hurrying her along. Ruby was happy to oblige. She sprang to her feet, grabbing her bags and slinging Crescent Rose's case over her shoulder. Yang tucked Ember and Celica into the back of her shorts before picking up her own bags and following Ruby off the train with a wide grin.

"So this is it," Yang said as they disembarked. "We made it to Vale." People were walking all around the two of them, going about their own business. Ruby was beginning to feel very out of place, she'd never been to Vale before.  
>"Now we just have to get to Beacon." She said, looking up at her sister.<br>"Uncle Qrow said he booked us a cab, we just have to find the driver." Yang replied as she lead the way to the train station's exit.

They came out of the train station and into an even larger throng of people. The sun was high in the sky and there were no clouds in sight. Ruby and Yang pushed their way through the crowd until they found a suited man holding a cardboard sign that read "Ruby Rose & Yang Xiao Long". They waded over to him, placed their bags and belongings in the trunk of his car and climbed in the back seat.

"Damn," Yang sighed. "That crowd was _huge_!"  
>"You can say that again," Ruby muttered. "Are crowds always that big here?" They slumped back in their seats, panting lightly. They rushed to clip their seatbelts on as the car jolted, rushing forward.<p>

They sped through the streets of Vale, passing offices, shops and houses. The driver turned the car down so many corners that within five minutes, Ruby had completely lost her sense of direction. If she got out of the car, she knew she'd never find the train station again. She gazed out the window, watching the people-filled streets flashing past. Her breath caught as she saw Beacon in the distance, flashing between the buildings.

The car drove out of the buildings and onto a bridge, crossing the river that ran through Vale.  
>"Wow!" Ruby yelled, pressing her face up to the window.<br>"Nice view huh." Yang said, peering around Ruby. The view before Ruby was incredible. A long, winding river making its way through Vale and, at the end of it, Ruby's first unobstructed view of Beacon Academy. Its tall spires stretching towards the clouds, Beacon looked down on all of Vale.

Ruby turned to Yang, grinning widely. She grabbed sister into a hug and squealed in excitement.  
>"I can't believe it!" she squeaked. "We actually made it into Beacon!"<br>"It took a lot of work," Yang replied, patting Ruby on the head. "But yeah, we made it. Mom would be proud." The smile faded from Ruby's face at the mention of Summer. Ruby couldn't help but wonder if she would actually have been proud, if she'd have even cared. Ruby held onto Yang, doing her best not to cry.

Before Ruby could completely regain her composure, the car pulled up at the doors to Beacon Academy. The driver turned off the car and quickly jumped out. He rushed around to get their bags out of the car, setting them gently at the foot of the stairs to Beacon's main doors. Ruby and Yang pulled themselves out of the car and stood, awestruck, gazing up at the magnificent façade of Beacon Academy. It hadn't really hit Ruby that they were going to Beacon until she was standing at the doors.

She swallowed nervously, taking a hesitant step back. Yang looked at her, concerned.  
>"Ruby?" she asked. "Are you okay?"<br>"Yeah, I'm fine, totally fine." Ruby replied, trying to smile.  
>"Come on Ruby, there's no need to be nervous. We worked hard to get here, we've earned this."<br>"Yeah, I guess so." Ruby nodded. She was still anxious though. _Am I really good enough?_ She thought. _Do we really belong here? _Trying to push down her anxiety, Ruby picked up her bags, slung Crescent Rose's strap over her shoulders and followed Yang up to the doors.

The doors to Beacon Academy opened, revealing a bustling hall of students, all holding their own bags and belongings. People were walking back and forth, talking and yelling, laughing and crying. There was a large screen hanging from a giant pillar in the centre of the room, showing a montage of Beacon's successful graduates.  
>"See Ruby," Yang said, gesturing towards a girl who was sitting in the corner of the room crying. "You're not the only one who's nervous." Ruby threw a punch at Yang's shoulder in reply.<br>"Oh shut up Yang, I'm not _that_ nervous." Ruby said, pouting slightly. Yang merely laughed and wrapped an arm around Ruby's shoulders, giving her a quick, one-armed hug.

The crowd quietened quickly as a blonde woman's face appeared on the screen. _Hello students,_ a voice issued from speakers around the room, _and welcome to Beacon Academy. As we're sure you all know: Beacon Academy is one of the leading schools in Remnant for musicians of any nationality, instrument and genre. You've all worked hard to be accepted into the prestigious academy, and we're proud to have you here. During your time here, you will hone your craft and acquire new skills, what skills you haven't acquired already. You will meet new people, make new friends, and you might even find people to join you in your future endeavours. Now, if you will all calmly head through the doors at the back of the room, you will all be taken for a quick tour and orientation._

Ruby looked at Yang excitedly, bouncing on the balls of her feet. She was still nervous, but excitement was beginning to take over. Whether or not she belonged here, whether or not she would make it or fit in, she would at least get to see around Beacon. _Beacon! _Every one who'd ever picked up an instrument dreamed of going to Beacon and anyone who played seriously always aspired to graduate from it. She headed through the door, further into Beacon, with a wide grin on her face.

* * *

><p>Orientation had consisted of being broken into smaller groups of about ten students and taken on a tour of the campus. Ruby had relished every second of it. She'd gotten a close look at the school's facilities: their stages, studios and classrooms. It was incredible.<p>

After the orientation, Ruby and Yang had headed off to find their dormitory. They wandered through the dormitory wing of the school, searching for their room. Ruby led the way down the hall, taking note of the numbers on the doors they passed.

She came to a sudden halt. Yang didn't notice in time and walked into her, almost knocking Ruby over and tripping herself.  
>"Hey!" she exclaimed, catching herself before she fell over. "What's up?"<br>"Listen." Ruby was straining her ears, searching for the sound she'd heard seconds before. _There it is! _She could hear the gentle sound of piano keys drifting through air. She rushed towards the sound, coming to a stop in front of one of them dorm rooms.

"**Mirror, tell me something.**" A quiet, gentle voice drifted from the room, accompanying the piano. Ruby listened at the door, enraptured. "**Tell me who's the loneliest of all.**" Ruby's ears perked up as she heard an orchestra joining the piano. Yang joined Ruby at the door, tilting her head to one side.  
>"Do they have an orchestra in that room or something?" She asked. Ruby shrugged in response. "Well, there's only one way to find out."<p>

Yang knocked on the door loudly. The music cut off and the hall felt empty, as if the loss of the music actually retracted from the world around them. The door opened and a beautiful girl with pale, white hair in a white dress stood before them.  
>"Yes?" she asked. "Can I help you?" Ruby was floundered, searching for an answer.<br>"Uh… I… I mean, we…" She stammered, struggling to find the words.  
>"This is our dorm." Yang cut in. Ruby looked up at her sister, confused, then checked the number on the door. Sure enough, it was their room.<p>

"Oh," the pale girl said. "Well, come on in." She stepped aside, opening the door wider to let them in. Ruby and Yang crossed the threshold, inspecting their new room. It was fairly plain: white walls, light brown floorboards, four beds. One of the beds had a keyboard and an open laptop on it. Ruby looked at the girl who'd let them in as she made her way back over to the bed, closing the laptop and turning the keyboard off.

"I'm Weiss." She said, holding a hand out to Ruby. Ruby reached out and shook it.  
>"I'm Ruby."<br>"I'm Yang." Yang said, taking Weiss' hand and shaking it. "So we have one more person who'll be bunking with us?"  
>"Yes, I haven't seen them yet though. I'm sure our last roommate will show up eventually." Weiss said, turning back to her bags.<p>

"So you play the keyboard?" Ruby asked, setting her things on one of the beds. Weiss looked up, a joking smile on her face.  
>"I'd have thought that was obvious." She said, pointing towards the keyboard on the bed.<br>"Well, yeah." Ruby said, blushing. "I heard other instruments though."  
>"Oh, that." Weiss said, nodding. "The good thing about keyboards it they can simulate a plethora of other instruments. I can write music for other instruments on the keyboard and then run them through the laptop there."<br>"And you sing?" Ruby asked eagerly.  
>"Uh, no," Weiss said, blushing. "Not really. I'm not very good at it. I just write music. I was only singing because, well, I don't have any friends who can sing."<br>"Oh," Ruby said, trying to think of something nice to say. "Well I thought you sounded great."  
>"No, I'm really not good enough." Weiss said. "I wrote that song a while ago, and I'm not really a good enough singer for it."<br>"You wrote it?" Yang asked.  
>"That's correct."<br>"Then why couldn't you just write it so you could sing it?"  
>"Well I <em>can<em>," she said. "But not the way I'd like it to be sung. I wrote the music first, and then higher vocals seemed fit in better. But I can't sing that high."  
>"It doesn't sound like you're not good enough then." Ruby said. "You just don't have the pitch, and that doesn't mean you're bad at all. I thought you sounded great."<p>

"So what do you two play?" Weiss asked, steering the conversation away from herself. Ruby perked up, opening Crescent Rose's case.  
>"I play the guitar!" she said excitedly. "This is Crescent Rose."<br>"You named your guitar?" Weiss asked, raising her eyebrow.  
>"Uh… Yeah," Ruby answered. She blushed embarrassedly.<br>"Don't be embarrassed." Weiss laughed. "I named my keyboard too."  
>"What'd you name it?" Ruby asked.<br>"I… I don't really like to tell people."  
>"Oh… That's okay. Don't worry about it." Ruby said with a smile.<p>

"Well I play the drums." Yang said, pulling out Ember and Celica, her favourite drumsticks. She twirled them through her fingers dexterously.  
>"Oh, that must be yours over there then." Weiss said, pointing to the corner of the room. Ruby and Yang turned around. There was a yellow-painted drum kit sitting in the corner, all set up and ready to be used. Yang squealed in excitement and rushed over to it.<br>"My baby!" she squealed, sitting on the stool in the middle of the drums. She spun around in a quick circle, delighted. She twirled Ember and Celica around again before playing a quick drum solo. She hit every drum and cymbal at least twice, testing them all to make sure they were set up right.

"Wow," Weiss said quietly to Ruby. "She's good." Ruby smiled at Weiss' praise of her sister.  
>"She's worked hard." She replied.<br>"Looks like it's all set up right." Yang said, standing up. "Awesome! Remind me to thank Uncle Qrow for shipping these over for me."

As Ruby and Yang started unpacking, there was a knock at the door. Ruby headed over to open it, revealing a tall girl with long, black hair. She was wearing an almost entirely black outfit and a black bow in her hair.  
>"Hi!" Ruby said cheerfully, ushering the girl in. "You must be our last roommate!"<br>"Hi," the girl said calmly as she stepped into the room. She had a bag in one hand and a guitar case strapped over the other shoulder. "I'm Blake."  
>"I'm Ruby."<br>"Weiss,"  
>"Yang,"<br>"Nice to meet all of you. I guess I was the last one here?"  
>"I think so." Ruby said. "It's only four to a room isn't it?"<br>"Yes." Weiss said from her bed, she was already unpacked. "It's a maximum of four people per room, some have less though."

Ruby turned away from Blake to finish unpacking and stopped short as she saw Yang. Yang was staring intently at Blake, a thoughtful expression on her face.  
>"Yang," Ruby whispered. "What are you doing?" Yang shook her head, turning back to her bags.<br>"Nothing," she whispered back. "She just looks familiar."  
>"Where would you have seen her before?"<br>"I don't know, that's what I'm trying to figure out."

Ruby turned away, facing Blake again. Blake had dropped her belongings on the last available bed and was beginning to unpack.  
>"So," Ruby began. "You play the guitar?" Blake looked up, still unpacking.<br>"No," she said, looking back down. "I play the bass."  
>"Oh cool!" Ruby said excitedly. "I've never met anyone who played the bass before."<br>"It's not that common anymore."  
>"Yeah, but I think it's cool."<br>"Do you play it too?"  
>"Uh, no…" Ruby said, blushing. "I play the guitar."<br>"Going for the glory too, huh?" Blake said, rolling her eyes.

"N- no," Ruby stuttered. "It's not like that at all. I play it because I've been learning it all my life. It's just what I've always played. And I've had years to get good enough at it to come to Beacon. I wouldn't change and start a new one now. Besides, my mom taught me…" Ruby trailed off, closing her eyes. _Why did I say that,_ she thought, mentally kicking herself. She didn't want to think of Summer. Remembering the good times only made it hurt more at night.  
>"And I suppose you have the same opinion of bassists as everyone else? Hiding in the background, not important at all?" Blake said bitterly.<br>"No, not at all," Ruby replied with a smile. "I tried the bass at one point, just to see what it was like. I'd played the guitar for _ages_ and I wanted to try something new. The bass seemed like the closest thing, something I could get the hang of quickly. But it's _really_ tough. I really respect people that can play it, I know I couldn't. Sure you don't get as much recognition from the audience, but I think you get more from other musicians."

A smile spread over Blake's face; even she could feel the sincerity in Ruby's voice. "I didn't realise." She said. "Sorry about that, I always get a little worked up over that sort of thing. I shouldn't let it get to me as much as it does. I… I was pretty much forced into playing the bass. The band I used to be in… Well… Everyone wanted to play the guitar. I was one of them. We had a drummer, two singers and three guitarists. They forced me into playing the bass because they wanted the glory of playing the guitar. So I got forced to the back and never got noticed."  
>"Oh, that's awful." Ruby said. "If you hated it so much the–"<br>"I didn't say I hated it." Blake cut her off. "Just that I was forced into it. I was against it at first, but I grew to like it pretty quickly. And I got used to being a backup singer."  
>"Backup singer too?" Weiss joined the conversation. "They really did push you to the back didn't they?"<br>"That's part of why I left." Blake replied. "They were too hungry for glory, too aggressive and I didn't like where the band was going."

"I _knew _recognised you!" Yang yelled. The other three turned to her, all looking confused. "I've been trying to place it ever since you walked in the door." She continued. "You're the bassist for White Fang!"


	2. Chapter 2

"Oh damn it," Blake groaned, flopping onto her bed. "I'm here for not even an hour and someone _already_ recognises me."  
>"Oh my God!" Yang squealed. Ruby looked at her, slightly worried. She'd never seen Yang this excited before.<br>"Please," Blake hissed as she rolled off her bed. "Be quiet!" She stood in front of Yang, trying to calm her down.  
>"You are, aren't you?" Yang whispered, barely containing herself. "You're Blake Belladonna!"<br>"Yes, yes, I am. Now can you _please _be quiet?"

Yang took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.  
>"But, what are you doing <em>here<em>?" she asked. Her voice was noticeably calmer. Not completely calm, but better.  
>"I told you," Blake said. "I left White Fang." Yang gaped at her, horrified.<br>"_Why?_" she cried, falling to her knees.  
>"Get up," Blake said, tugging on Yang's arms. "I told you, I didn't like the direction the band was going in. They were too hungry for glory, and they always just pushed me to the back. I was never important. They've probably already replaced me. I never really felt like a member of the band, I just played the bass for them."<p>

"But…" Yang whispered. She sounded heart broken. "Why are you _here?_"  
>"At Beacon?" she asked. Yang nodded. "I'm here because White Fang is signed to Grimm Studios." Blake answered with a grin. "Everyone knows that Beacon and Grimm are competitors, and basically arch rivals. Beacon is determined to keep music genuine, to keep artists musically talented. Grimm takes whoever sounds good and happens to be popular off the street and gives them money until the listeners get sick of them." This was common knowledge to most people who wanted to be a musician. Grimm Studios were the people that were filling the music business with nonsense, music that all sounded the same and could barely be classed as music. But because they managed to market it well, it became popular and Grimm made a mint. White Fang was an exception to that rule: they had seemed like a genuine band. That was something that hadn't come from Grimm in a long time, which many people thought contributed to their success.<p>

"I left them because I realised that Grimm wasn't doing anything for us as musicians, they just wanted to make money. The rest of the band was okay with that as long as they got a cut, but I wanted to improve. I know that White Fang really isn't the most technically talented band out there, none of the bands Grimm signs are. But they didn't care enough about the music to improve, so I left. I decided I no longer wanted to use my skills to aid in their quest for profit, and decided to dedicate my life to performing for Beacon."  
>"But," Yang said. "White Fang is an all Faunus band…" Blake rolled her eyes, reached up to the bow in her hair and yanked it out. Beneath it were two small, adorable cat ears.<p>

"Oh my God that's so cute!" Ruby squealed, earning a bland look from Blake. She shut her mouth with a disappointed snap as her teeth clapped together.  
>"Look, I know we just met and all. And yes Yang, I know that you're excited. But can we just keep this between us? I don't really want people to know I'm connected to White Fang."<br>"Why?" Yang asked. "I'm sure you'd be popular."  
>"Firstly, I don't know if I would be. I was signed to Beacon's competitor, remember? And secondly, I want a fresh start. I don't want to be known as White Fang's bassist anymore. I want to be my own musician, in a band where I'm seen as an equal."<br>"Well I think bass players are awesome!" Ruby said with a wide grin. "I've tried my hand at the bass before, and it seemed a lot harder than guitar."  
>"So you've said." Blake said with a small smile.<p>

They all turned to the door as music drifted down the hall. Blake walked over to a button near the door and pressed it. The gap between the door and the doorframe sealed off and the sound from outside was cut off.  
>"All the rooms can be soundproofed." Blake said to Ruby's confused look. "Didn't they tell you that in orientation?"<br>"Oh, that's awesome!" Ruby yelled.  
>"So," Blake said. "What are you guys like? Let's hear you play."<br>"What?" Yang said, sounding scared. "I couldn't do that."  
>"Why not?"<br>"You're the bassist fo–"  
>"No I'm not. I'm Blake, remember?"<br>"But…"  
>"Just play." Blake said, rolling her eyes. "We're roommates, so I'm going to hear you play eventually. We might as well do it now."<p>

Ruby and Yang rushed to their instruments at the same time. Yang sat down at her drum kit, hitting the kick drum a couple of times. Ruby unpacked Crescent Rose and plugged it into the amp that she set on the floor. From her bag she pulled out a microphone stand and the microphone, plugging it into a speaker. Blake rolled her eyes.  
>"Guitar <em>and<em> a singer?" she asked w. "You really do go for glory, don't you?" Ruby and Yang ignored her, making sure they were set up properly.  
>"So," Yang said, twirling her drumsticks around. "What song?" Ruby pondered for a few seconds.<br>"This Will Be the Day?"  
>"Let's do it."<p>

Ruby slung Crescent Rose's strap over her shoulder, rolled her shoulders and swung her head around, loosening her neck. Her amp let out the high-pitched screech of her fingers sliding on the strings. She looked at Yang, nodding. Ruby was in her zone now; this is where she felt comfortable. Any nervousness at playing for the bassist of White Fang was gone. Closing her eyes, Ruby took a deep breath and began to play.

The fingers of her right hand danced on the neck of the guitar, pressing down the strings while her left hand strummed the chords. Yang joined in, adding her slow drum beat to the mix. Opening her eyes, Ruby stepped up to the microphone. She looked at Blake and Weiss, who were both watching with interest.

_"_**They see you as small and helpless**_." _Blake and Weiss both perked up, looking surprised at Ruby's voice. Ruby couldn't help but grin._ "_**They see you as just a child.**_"_

_"_**Surprise when they find out that a warrior will soon run wild**_." _Yang slammed down on her cymbal, bashing at it in time as the drums got heavier. Ruby grinned even wider, this was what she and Yang lived for. She lost herself in the music as it flooded the room, lifting her away.

* * *

><p><em>"<em>**In time your heart will open minds! A story will be told and victory is in a simple soul!**_" _Ruby ended the song as she always did, sliding up the neck of the guitar. She looked up at Blake and Weiss, who were both staring at Ruby and Yang, gaping.  
>"Holy crap…" Blake muttered. "That was <em>awesome!<em>" Ruby blushed, Yang beamed. "Did you guys _write_ that?"  
>"Uh, yeah…" Ruby answered shyly.<br>"Oh my God, that's insane." Blake said.  
>"You really liked it?" Yang asked as she stood up.<br>"Yeah, that kicked ass!"  
>"Well…" Yang said thoughtfully. "Ruby and I are looking for band members, and we need a bassist…"<br>"Is that right?" Blake asked as she crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "Well then, I wish you both the best of luck. I hope you find a good one."

Yang hung her head, disappointed. Ruby couldn't help but giggle at the look on her sister's face. She just looked so dejected, like a child in a candy store who was told they couldn't have any.  
>"Oh come on," Blake said as she rolled her eyes. "I only just met you guys. I don't know how we'd mesh. I just left a band that I had a terrible time fitting in with and I don't want to dive straight into another one." Yang looked up thoughtfully, nodding at Blake.<br>"I guess that makes sense. So we just hang out until you feel like we'd work out?" she asked, hope rising in her voice.  
>"Well you two are certainly good enough, just give it some time. Then we'll see."<p>

Ruby found herself looking over at Weiss, who was sitting quietly on her bed watching the exchange between Yang and Blake. She had a small smile on her face and was watching them with interesting. Ruby could see her idly pressing the key on her keyboard, though it was switched off. It looked like she didn't even know she was doing it.

"Hey Weiss," Ruby said as she walked over to her. "You okay?"  
>"Of course," she said, looking up at Ruby. "I'm fine."<br>"You just seem really quiet, that's all."  
>"They seemed to be getting on just fine without me so I thought I'd just sit here."<br>"Come on Weiss, you're our roommate too. Come and join in!"  
>"No, no. I'm fine here."<br>"Weiss, we're going to be living together for the next year, at least. You're going to have to talk to us eventually."  
>"Yeah Weiss," Yang chimed in. "Let us hear you play something. We want a keyboard player too."<p>

Weiss blushed slightly as she stood up.  
>"I really don't think I'm good enough to play with you guys." She said. Yang threw an arm over Weiss' shoulders.<br>"Don't be silly, just play something for us."  
>"O-o-okay," she stuttered. She looked down embarrassedly as she walked back over to keyboard. She switched it on and opened up her laptop.<p>

"Are you sure you want me to play?" she asked, a pleading expression on her face.  
>"Yes!" they all shouted in unison. Weiss turned to her keyboard, running her fingers over the keys. Ruby watched as Weiss took a deep breath and rested her fingers on the keys. She visibly relaxed as she lightly touched the keyboard, centering herself.<p>

Soft, gentle, yet sad notes filled the room as Weiss played. It was slow and drifted from one note to the next.  
>"<strong>Mirror, tell me something<strong>_._" Weiss' voice joined the piano, quiet and shy. "**Tell me who's the loneliest of all**_._" Ruby closed her eyes, letting the melancholy wash over her like a rolling tide. She heard the clacking of a keyboard and realised Weiss was adding other tracks. The music died for a few seconds before a rapidly rising cello burst through the silence, washing over Ruby once more.

"**Mirror, tell me something**_._" Weiss sang. "**Tell me who's the loneliest of all**_._" Ruby adored the song and she could almost lose herself in it. But Weiss had been right. Her voice didn't _quite_ match the orchestra that backed her vocals. Ruby could tell, just by listening, that it _did_ need to be higher. Weiss had a nice voice—it was lovely—but she just didn't have the range to match the composition.

Ruby listened, paying extra attention to the vocals. She ran the song through in her head, mentally singing it. Weiss' voice couldn't get quite as high as it needed to be but Ruby could hear the song as it should be sung. It was beautiful: uplifting and melancholy at the same time.

Eventually, it came to an end. Weiss looked up as the last notes died with a shy smile on her face.  
>"So," she said. "What do you think?"<br>"Wow Weiss," Ruby said with a smile. "That was really, really good."  
>"You think so?" Weiss' face lit up with joy.<br>"Of course," Ruby replied. "I loved it."  
>"Th-thanks," Weiss said as her cheeks turned pink.<p>

"So," Yang said. "What do you think Weiss?"  
>"What?"<br>"Do you want to join our band? We need a keyboard player, and you're awesome!"  
>"No, no." Weiss said with a frown. "I'm nowhere near good enough to join up with you two."<br>"Of course you are!" Ruby cried, jumping on the spot. "Come on Weiss, join us. Join us, join us, join us, join us, join us! Please?" Weiss looked at Ruby with a frown. She paused for a few seconds as she pondered then looked up with a smile.  
>"Well," she began. "If you'll have me, I'd love to."<p>

Ruby cried out in joy as she ran across the room and threw her arms around Weiss. Weiss rocked back under Ruby's sudden assault, nearly falling off the bed. She looked at Yang and Blake in surprise, like she had no idea what was going on. Yang shrugged at her.  
>"She's not going to let go until you hug her back." She said with a crooked smile at Weiss. Weiss hesitantly raised her arms, slowly wrapping them around Ruby in return.<p>

Ruby squeezed Weiss tightly before letting go and jumping back, still bouncing with joy. Blake took a few steps forward, looking at Weiss thoughtfully.  
>"Hey Weiss," she said. "Have you ever used your set up for electronic sounds? Or do you just use to overdub orchestral tracks?"<br>"I just use it for the orchestra." Weiss replied. "Why?" She looked at Blake thoughtfully.  
>"I've got a song I've been working on for a little while, but I want some electronics. If you're as good as I think you are from that, I think you might be able to help me."<p>

Weiss looked at Blake uncertainly.  
>"I've never done electronics before. They've never really been my thing." She replied.<br>"Well there's a little bit of piano as well, if that makes you feel more comfortable. And we can always give the electronics a trial run. I think you have might have what it takes, if you're willing to try."  
>"Sure," Weiss nodded. "I'm happy to give it a try. No promises on how good I'll be though."<p>

"So does this mean you're joining us too?" Yang asked eagerly. Blake gave her an amused smile.  
>"No," she said. "But there are guitar, drum and vocal parts to it. So, if you'd like, we can collaborate on it. If this works out well enough, I'll join you. I did say <em>if<em>!" She cried as Yang squealed and wrapped her in a hug.  
>"Oh this is going to <em>awesome!<em>" she cried excitedly.  
>"Right," Ruby said as Yang let Blake go. "So where do we start?"<p>

As Blake opened her mouth to answer, a voice echoed through the room from the PA mounted on the wall.  
><em>"All first year students are to report to the main auditorium immediately. I repeat, all first year student are to report to the main auditorium immediately."<br>_The four of them exchanged glances.  
>"Anyone know what this is about?" Blake asked. The other three shook their heads. "Well, we'd better go find out." Ruby placed Crescent Rose back in its case before following the other three out the door.<p>

They joined the throng of people that were crowding the corridor and made their way gradually to the auditorium. Ruby looked around as they walked, examining all the other students. It fascinated her that so many people from so many different places would all gather at the same school, and all for the same reason. She couldn't help but wonder what instruments they all played. She also found herself wondering how many played the guitar. _Probably a lot, _she thought ruefully, _Blake wasn't wrong there. A _lot _of people want the glory of being a lead guitarist. _

Eventually they made it into the auditorium, an immense, cavernous room. The grandstand that covered most of the floor space lead down to the stage at the far side of the room. Flashing lights were shining on the stage and musicians were standing on it, wrapping up a sound check.  
>"I think they're showing us a concert!" Ruby yelled, straining to be heard over the excited students surrounding them.<br>"What?" Yang yelled back, cupping a hand around her ear.  
>"<em>I think they're showing us a concert!<em>" Ruby screamed. Yang pulled back and nodded uncertainly.  
>"I think they're showing us a concert!" She yelled at Ruby. Ruby rolled her eyes and turned away to look for seats.<p>

They found four free seats about halfway down the stair to the stage. None of them knew anyone else at Beacon yet so they all agreed that they might as well sit together. They all settled in their seats, getting comfortable; except Ruby. Ruby was standing up, almost hanging over the seat in front of her. She bounced up and down on the balls of her feet, eagerly watching the stage. The student in the seat in front of Ruby looked back, annoyed. Ruby issued a hurried apology and stood up straight, still bouncing.

"I wonder who's going to play!" she yelled back at Yang. The students around them were still being incredibly loud.  
>"It'll probably be a group of seniors!" Yang yelled back. "Can you sit down?" Ruby hung her head slightly as she slumped into her seat and crossed her arms grumpily. Yang reached over and ruffled her hair with a laugh. Ruby shook Yang's hand off her head and glared at her for a few seconds before breaking into a laugh of her own. She turned her head back to the stage focussing on the group that were walking onto it, instruments in hand.<p>

"Look!" she squealed. "It's starting!" She bounced back to her feet, clapping her hands and cheering. Yang sat back in her chair, rolling her eyes. Blake and Weiss both watched Ruby with amused smiles before turning their attention to the stage as well.

Ruby closed her eyes as the band's singer introduced himself and his band. She waited with bated breath, listening to the confident voice of the senior front man welcoming the freshmen to Beacon. She opened her eyes as lights flashed over the room, shining through her eyelids. Ruby gaped at the stage in joy as the band on show raised their hands to the crowd. Ruby raised her hand as well, leading the students around her to do the same. Within seconds the entire audience was standing out of their seats, holding up a fist.

The drummer gave a quick count, clicking his sticks together before slamming the cymbals when the guitars joined in. Ruby watched on in awe and rapture as the music hit her with all the force of a charging bull and she lost herself in its charge.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: There aren't really any words I can say that will excuse the pitiful state this story has ended up in. I started this a long time ago with the best of intentions, ideas flowing like water and motivation gushing from my every pore. Then everything changed when writer's block attacked. It doesn't excuse the massive delay, but I really did have the worst kind of writer's block. I had ideas for this story. Great ideas, ideas that would make the strongest of men weep, and make the most miserable of people smile, at least for a moment. But I was scared. I'd had a taste of success, of popularity, with Red Stained Remnant, and I felt scared of messing it up. This story was going in a completely different direction, one that I'd never touched on before in anything I'd written: the problems of being human. I didn't know if I had it in me to do what I'd set out to do, what I had planned. So, using the excuse of oncoming classes and a need to work more on Red Stained Remnant, I chose the easy way out. I stopped writing. I'd finished chapter 3 before I quit, and it's been sitting on my computer for months, waiting to be posted. I just couldn't work up the balls to do it. Posting this would be like saying that it was back on again, that I'd worked up the courage to try, and I knew that I hadn't. So I apologise to you for my weakness, I apologise for giving into my fear**

**No more**

**Something called to me the other day, in the midst of planning other RWBY related fan fic things. I don't know if it was need for procrastination, or a need for something RWBY related to write while I plan and plot and wait for my allocated release date. Either way, I decided to revisit. I read over what I'd done. I listened to the Volume 1 soundtrack all over again. And it hit me again. The inspiration. I remembered what had inspired me to write this in the first place. The music. That was all it was for. So I decided that it was worth giving it another shot. So I've started chapter 4, I've picked up where I left off, and I'm posting this so that I have people hounding me for more. Don't expect a consistent release schedule just yet, unfortunately. This is going to take me a while to write. I'm delving into some dark issues—places I've never explored before as a writer—and I want to make sure it's as good as I can make it, for your sake. So forgive me my delays, forgive me the wait between chapters. Just know that I'm trying, really trying, to push myself into this. This story could really be something amazing if I can do it right, and I never settle for anything but my best. So know that, while you wait for the next chapter, I'm slaving away, making it as good as I possibly can. Both for myself, and for you**

**Anyway, blah, blah, blah. Shut up, K. No one cares.**

**Here is the very long-awaited chapter 3, for your reading pleasure**

* * *

><p>"That was awesome!" Ruby squealed as they walked into their room. The concert had gone on for two hours, and had only gotten better as it went on. Ruby collapsed on her bed, staring up at the ceiling.<p>

"That was pretty good." Blake said as she followed Ruby through the door. Ruby bolted upright on her bed.

"Good?" she yelled.

"Okay, it was very good. But I have seen better."

"Oh come on Blake," Yang said. She stepped up next to Blake and elbowed her in the ribs. "Let her enjoy it." Ruby toppled over, back onto her bed.

Weiss followed Yang in, closing the door behind her.

"So, we start classes tomorrow?" Weiss asked.

"Yeah," Yang said with a sigh. "Tomorrow it all kicks off."

"Are you guys still okay with working on a song with me?" Blake asked. "We'll do it after classes of course."

"Yeah!" They all replied exuberantly.

"Great," Blake said with a smile. "I guess we'll start work on it tomorrow?"

"Definitely," Ruby said.

"Well we should probably go to sleep." Weiss said, pulling her pyjamas out of the closet.

"How am I supposed to sleep after that concert?" Ruby whined.

She rolled over on her bed and pressed her face into her pillow and kicked her legs in the air. She bounced up, off her bed, and landed next to Crescent Rose. She opened the case quickly, pulled her guitar out and leapt back onto her bed, leaning back against the headboard.

"Ruby, do you have to?" Yang asked as she pulled her pyjamas out. "We're going to go to sleep."

"Please!" Ruby asked in a high pitch voice. "I'll be really, really quiet." She whispered, holding a finger over her pursed lips. Yang rolled her eyes.

"Well I'm not the only one who has to be okay with it now: we have roommates to worry about." Yang said, pointing over at Blake and Weiss.

Her face fell as she saw Weiss putting ear plugs in and Blake pulling out her bass. Blake gave her an apologetic smile.

"Sorry," she said. "I haven't played at all today."

Yang rolled her eyes. She pushed the bathroom door open and headed in to get changed. Ruby grinned at Blake, who gave her a small smile in return. They both settled back and played their instruments, quietly, as Yang came out and tucked herself into bed.

* * *

><p>Their first day at Beacon began with a sun-filled dorm room. Ruby's eyes cracked open, she squinted against the sunlight streaming in the windows. Sitting up, she rubbed at her eyes.<p>

"Good morning!" Yang yelled, wrapping her arms around Ruby. "Are you ready for our first day?"

"First day?" Ruby asked. She scratched her head and stretched, yawning. "What're you talking about?"

"Our first day at Beacon, silly," Yang said.

Ruby stiffened as she remembered. She'd forgotten where she was, she was still waking up. But it all came back now. They were at Beacon. It was their first day. And they were forming their own band. They were on their way to accomplishing their dream.

Ruby grinned up at Yang, hugging her back. The two of them giggled as they squeezed each other excitedly.

"Come on you two, we need to get going." Blake said as she walked out of the bathroom. Ruby and Yang looked at her, blinking vacantly. Blake sighed. "Get up, get dressed. We need to go get breakfast before our classes start."

Ruby and Yang both leapt of the bed, dashing to grab their clothes before hurrying into the bathroom. Within seconds they were back out in the dorm room, grabbing their gear and dashing to the door.

"Come on, Blake, Weiss, we've got to go!" Ruby said, hopping from foot to foot in excitement. Blake rolled her eyes before following them out the door, with Weiss in tow.

They wandered down the halls, heading to the cafeteria. Ruby, who was in the lead, had managed to get lost, so they didn't have as much time to eat as they should have. After a hurried meal, they dashed off to class. Weiss led the way this time, she didn't want to get lost again and be late.

The classes on their first day were mainly introductory lessons. Briefings and outlines on what they would learn over the semester, with some introductory content. The four of them shared classes for Musical Theory, Musical History and Tech Management. They each had their own class for their instruments, so Ruby went to her Guitar Technique class alone. She sat in a small group with three other students, listening to the tutor explain the lesson set-up for the semester.

Ruby left the room feeling dazed and disappointed. There were no guitar lessons on the first day. Each student was to be assigned a tutor, who would take them for one-on-one lessons. So my first lesson isn't 'til tomorrow, she thought as she walked back to the dorm.

When she walked back into the room Blake and Weiss were already back and both of them were setting up their instruments.

"Hey," Ruby said, closing the door. "What're you guys doing?" Blake looked up at her with a faintly annoyed, but amused, look.

"We're getting ready to work on my song." She said. "The one you said you'd help with?"

"Oh! Sorry, slipped my mind." Ruby blushed, rushing over to her gear to set up Crescent Rose.

"So where's your sister?" Blake asked.

"I don't know. I haven't seen her since we split up earlier." Ruby answered as she pulled Crescent Rose out of its case.

Blake frowned, plucking at her bass strings impatiently. "Well I hope she gets back soon."

Almost as if on cue, Yang burst in the door, panting.

"Hey, guys." She said in between breaths. "Sorry I'm late. I just had a uh… Never mind. Let's get to it!"

"Okay," Blake said. She walked over to her bed and grabbed a few sheets of paper. "Here's what I've written out of the song so far, you guys should look it over."

Ruby took a sheet, reading through it. "There's a vocal part here." Ruby said. "Are you singing it?"

"Actually," Blake said, giving Ruby a crooked smile. "I liked your voice yesterday. Would you sing it?"

"I'd love to!" Ruby said with a smile. "I assume you want to do the backup parts then?"

"Yeah," Blake laughed. "There are a few parts I'll do. But you can do the leads."

"Sounds great," Ruby cried.

"Well then," Blake said, clapping her hands together. "Let's get started!"

* * *

><p>Their first weeks at Beacon flashed by in a blur of lessons, laughter, music and fun. The four of them grew closer over the weeks, all becoming fast friends; though Blake still refused to join their band until at least after they finished her song. It took them quite a while to finish it: parts had to be modified, removed or written. But it was all fun. Ruby's favourite part of her day was finishing her classes and spending the evening playing music with her friends.<p>

Yang had grown used to hanging around with Blake. In fact the two of them had become good friends. Ruby enjoyed spending time with Blake and Yang, but she also found herself spending a lot of time with Weiss. The snow-haired girl fascinated her. Weiss was so reserved, closed off and unwilling to open. She was out-going enough when they were playing, and she was always the first with her hand up in class. But as soon as Ruby steered the conversation towards Weiss herself, or her music, she closed down.

It piqued Ruby's curiosity. She didn't pester Weiss; she was too nice a person for that. But she spent more time with her, trying to figure her out. Eventually Weiss began to open up more, to Ruby at least, but she still kept her past as much of a secret as possible. But Ruby wasn't just hanging out with her for curiosity's sake. The more Weiss opened up, the more Ruby genuinely grew to like her. She was calm, intelligent, talented and hard-working. Ruby had never seen anyone so devoted to anything as Weiss was to her studies or her music.

Initially Weiss had spent all of her free time either studying or practicing. Ruby had struggled to become friends with her simply because whenever she tried, she was getting in Weiss' way. Eventually Weiss had agreed to spend an afternoon with Ruby, getting to know each other and, in time, she began to relax, taking time off to just have fun now and then.

Blake's song was coming along smoothly. The girls had all the composition done at least. They began spending their afternoons rehearsing and fine-tuning it. Any errors were worked out, any parts of the song that fell flat were rewritten, until it reached the point where Blake was perfectly happy with it.

From Shadows, Blake had titled it. Ruby had asked at one point what it was about, the lyrics were decidedly dark.

"It's a protest against human tyranny over Faunus." Blake had answered matter-of-factly. "It's about the oppression we Faunus went through—are still going through—in my home town."

"Was it that bad?" Yang had asked her. Ruby and Yang and been raised around Vale, where Faunus and Humans were almost equal. They'd been raised to think of Faunus as equal, so mistreating them was almost unimaginable.

"I uh… I come from a bad neighbourhood. Well, a bad city. I know things are better around here but, where I come from, humans hated the Faunus. And I mean openly hated us. We were subjected to discrimination and hate, violence and abuse. Faunus were forced to live on the street, or in rundown houses, working dead end jobs and having very little support in the community.

"Some people were supportive of us, giving us better jobs and helping us out, but not enough; so many of us had to resort to petty crime and theft simply to be able to eat. White Fang, the original members at least, began as a protest band. We wanted a way to make a stand against those who were so adamantly against us. We were subtle about it, the lyrics of our songs never openly called out the human populace. They were songs about fighting back against injustice, but you can pick up the references now and then.

"I guess that's how we became popular," she'd said with a sad smile. "Lots of people have their own injustices they want to stand up against, and we became their anthem. So when Grimm signed us on, we became huge. I was overjoyed at first: this meant that we were able to pass our messages on to even more people. Over time, I had grown to like the idea of supporting anyone and everyone through their troubles, not just the Faunus. So I liked knowing that even more people would be inspired by our work.

"But then the royalties started coming in. Our band—which was supposed to stand for Faunus rights and standing against injustice—jumped on the capitalist bandwagon, despite my best protests. And with money came the hubris. Adam, our front man, got cocky. He felt on top of the world, and no one could drag him back down. He lost his way, forgot why we started the band in the first place. He started pandering to the masses, aiming for more popularity and money. This song, I know I've been prattling on for ages, was attempt to bring us back to our roots. But they refused. I couldn't stand to remain in a band that had forgotten their way like that. People back home are still suffering. I couldn't understand why they would ignore that. So I left. Nice story huh?"

Ruby still thought back on that conversation, using it to motivate her singing of the song. She couldn't begin to understand what Blake had been put through as a child, but she was determined to help Blake fix it in any way she could.

* * *

><p>"From shadows," Ruby sang loudly, bending her strings to match the melody of her voice. "We'll reclaim our destiny!"<p>

Her fingers flashed over the neck of her guitar, running up the neck before she played a series of long, bending notes. Hanging her head over the guitar, panting, Ruby held the notes out, letting them die. The song ended with a low dying of all the music. She waited for the drone to fade away, trying to catch her breath.

Suddenly Weiss' piano started. Ruby looked up in surprise, they hadn't written any piano piece for the end of the song. Weiss was improvising, looking intently at her keys as her fingers brushed over them. She played a low, repeating hook before flowing up the keyboard. A beautiful, descending progression washed over them, sending Ruby into rapture. In the entire time she'd known Weiss, she'd never played anything like this.

The piece rose even higher, lower notes blending into it. The music continued for several seconds, raising goose bumps on Ruby's arms, before slowing down and ending on one last, powerfully haunting chord that sent a chill up Ruby's spine.

Weiss looked up, smiling shyly. "Sorry, I just felt like adding a little something at the end."

Ruby just gaped at her in shock. That had been one of the most powerful pieces of music Ruby had heard in her life, and Weiss sitting there smiling like it had been nothing! Weiss' smile faltered as she saw the shocked expressions on their faces, all of them staring at her. Ruby looked at Blake and was shocked to see a solitary tear roll down the Faunus' cheek.

"W-what?" She stuttered. "Was it that bad?"

Blake took a step forward, pulling her bass over her head and leaning it against a bed. "Weiss," Blake said slowly. "Can you remember what you just played and write it out?"

"I…" Weiss mumbled, confused. "Yeah, I can remember most of it. And there'll be a record of what I've played recently saved into my laptop. Why?"

"Good. We're keeping that."

"What!"

"That… Weiss…" Blake seemed lost for words. "That was beautiful. I don't want to know where you got the inspiration for that. All I know is: that was one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard and we're keeping that in the song."

"R-really?" Weiss asked, her cheeks turning pink.

"Definitely," Blake patted Weiss on the shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile. Blake reached up and wiped the tear off her cheek before turning to Ruby and Yang.

"Well," she said with a grin. "The song's done. Great job guys."

"So does that mean you're going to join us?" Yang asked hopefully.

"Were we good enough to convince you?" Ruby asked. Ruby had really enjoyed writing with Blake, she wanted Blake to join them and continue playing with them.

"Ruby," Blake said. "You're my singer. I can't leave you and get someone else to sing this after hearing you sing it."

"So you'll join us?" Yang and Ruby yelled in unison, their voices both filled with joy. Blake smiled and rested a hand on her hip.

"You guys have got yourselves a bassist."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Okay, chapter 4, nice and quickly. I had most of this written when I started again, and I've got a bit more done, so hopefully chapter 5 will be out soon. This one is a little shorter than the others, but it was becoming too big so I decided I'd split it into chapters 4 and 5, rather than having one 7000 word long chapter. So expect chapter 5 to be out soon (hopefully) and for it to be the longest chapter to date. Soon things begin happening...**

* * *

><p>"… And so, as I'm sure you've been told, we'll be having our first tournaments in a few weeks' time."<p>

Professor Ozpin was standing on the stage in the auditorium, speaking to the entire student body at our weekly assembly. "There will be four tournaments taking place, one for each year group. Any performers, or groups of performers, who feel that they'd like to participate need to fill out a sign up form—which will be made available to you—and submit it to your year co-ordinators by this time next week."

Ruby sat in the middle of the auditorium, in between Yang and Weiss. She was sitting forward in her seat, listening to Ozpin excitedly. She looked back at Yang, a grin plastered across her face. Yang smiled back, she knew what Ruby was going to ask as soon as they got back to the room. Ruby turned her gaze back to Ozpin, looking on in excitement.

"Make sure you hand your forms in as soon as you can," Ozpin continued. "We only have so many spots, and we need to know how many entrants we have as soon as we can. If too many people sign up, we will need to have preliminary rounds to see who gets in. And, lastly, whoever wins the tournament will win the prize, but the two finalists will both win entry to the end of year tournament. So if you want to be in involved in the end of year performances, you'd be advised to do your best in this first tournament. That will be all."

Ozpin turned around and walked off the stage. The auditorium was suddenly filled with noise as students got out of their chairs and started talking to each other. Ruby rocketed her feet, smiling and bouncing.

"Yes, yes." Yang said placatingly. "We'll talk about when we get back to the room." Ruby squeaked with excitement and took the lead as they made their out.

After weaving through throngs of students and getting lost, Blake took the lead and brought them to their room. Ruby burst in the room, throwing herself across the room to land on her bed.

"So we're doing this right?" She asked excitedly. Her gaze rapidly shifted between the other three girls. She had a smile on her face that couldn't possibly be any wider.

"I don't know, Ruby." Weiss said as she sat on her own bed. "Are we really ready to be performing?"

"Of course we are!" Ruby cried, spinning to face Weiss. "We've been practicing for weeks!"

"I'm going to have to agree with Ruby here, Weiss." Blake said. "I think we're ready. Even if we don't win, we need to start performing. We need to get used to each other on stage."

"It'll be fun." Yang added. "Besides, I miss playing in front of people."

"I think we should put it to a vote!" Weiss said with a frown.

"I think we just did." Ruby laughed. "All in favour say 'I'!"

"I!" Ruby, Blake and Yang chorused, raising their hands. Ruby looked down at Weiss and gave her an encouraging smile.

Weiss rolled her eyes and stood up, raising her own hand. "I," she muttered. Ruby cried out in joy and pulled Weiss into a hug.

"This is going to be _great_!" Ruby squealed.

* * *

><p>The girls filled out their application form the next day and handed it in to their year co-ordinator. Then, after their classes were over, they started working out what song they wanted to play.<p>

"Well it's a three round tournament." Ruby said. "So we need three songs."

"We'll need a fourth one," Weiss corrected her. "In case we need to do a preliminary round,"

"Weiss is right." Blake said. "So what songs do we have?"

"_This Will Be the Day_, _Mirror Mirror_, _From Shadows_ and _I Burn_."

"I Burn?" Weiss asked. "I've not heard that one."

"Oh…" Yang said, blushing. "That's one I wrote. I don't really play it much. It's kind of embarrassing."

"Don't be embarrassed!" Ruby said. "It's a great song." Yang smiled her thanks at Ruby, her cheeks still a lightish red.

"Well I guess you'll have to show it to us." Blake said with a smirk. "We need to hear it before we can decide if we want to play it." She nudged Yang to her feet.

Yang loosed a half-hearted kick at Blake as she walked over to her drum kit. "Come on Ruby," she sighed, defeated. "They're not going to stop until they hear it now."

Ruby giggled at Yang's expression as she picked up Crescent Rose and slung it over her shoulder. She turned on her amp and stood behind her microphone. Blake moved over to sound proof the room.

"So you sing this one too, Ruby?" She asked as the hit the button.

"Yeah," Yang answered. "I don't really like singing."

Blake shrugged and sat back down.

"Okay," Ruby said with a glance back at Yang. "You good to go?"

"Whenever you're ready," Yang replied. Ruby took a deep breath and hit her strings. She cut each chord short.

**"Come at me," **she sang as Yang joined in with her drums. **"And you'll see I'm more than meets the eye." **

* * *

><p><strong>"I burn! Swing all you want… Like a fever I will take you down!" <strong>Yang crashed her cymbals on Ruby's last words as she rang out her guitar. She looked up with a smile as Weiss and Blake applauded.

"Wow that _was_ good." Blake said. "I'm happy to play that one in the tournament. We'll have to spend some time to learn it though."

"I've got the sheet for it in my file of stuff somewhere…" Yang said as she pulled out the folder in question. She dug through it, shuffling papers around and pulling one out. She handed it over to Blake and Weiss, and they began reading through it.

"Is there no keyboard part?" Weiss asked.

"No," Yang answered. "Ruby and I wrote this one, and we didn't have a keyboard player. But we have time to write one, if we decide to do it."

"Okay," Weiss nodded. "I'm happy with it. If we can take some time before we start rehearsing it to write a part for me, then it'll be great."

"We'll see what we can do," Yang said. "I can't really think of a way that we can fit it anything really big and flashy though, so you might be restricted to back up parts."

"That's fine," Weiss said. "As long as I've got _something_ to do."

"Okay," Yang laughed. "Well I guess we'd better get started."

* * *

><p>Once again, they lost themselves in the fervour of music. Days flashed by while they worked on their new song. It was finished a lot faster than <em>From Shadows<em>; most of it had already been written. Rehearsals and working in a part for the keyboard had only taken a few days, and it was finished by the weekend.

It was late Saturday morning when the music of their last rehearsal faded away. Ruby stood in front of the others, panting lightly. Yang wiped sweat off her forehead and slumped back on her stool. Even Blake had a few drops of sweat running down her face, though Weiss was as composed as ever.

Ruby spun around the face the others. "Great job, guys!" she cried as she jumped up and down with excitement.

They all smiled back at her, and Blake reached out to pat her on the shoulder. Ruby gave her a grin in return and picked up Crescent Rose, swinging the strap over her head, and put it on its stand.

"Well," Yang said. "I guess we're covered for the tournament."

"Definitely," Weiss said. She'd been happy with the way _I Burn_ had turned out, even if she had only ended up playing background parts. "The fourth song is only a contingency, but I feel safer having it as back-up."

"Alright!" Blake said, clapping her hands. "Well I say we take the rest of the day off. We can rehearse all our songs again tomorrow. We should probably play them at least once or twice a day until the tournament, just so we don't lose them. But I think we've all earned a rest."

Yang toppled over on to her bed and, less than a second later, started snoring. It was hard to blame her; they had pulled a few late nights.

Blake raised an eyebrow at Yang's unmoving form. "Well I guess we know what _she's_ doing."

Ruby giggled. "What are you two going to do?"

Blake sighed. "I've got to go and see one of my tutors. Got something to deal with… I don't even really know what."

"Ah, that sucks," Ruby said.

"It is what it is," Blake said with a wry smile. "I'll see you guys later." She spun her bass around, so it was hanging off her back, and stepped into the hall with a wave.

Ruby spun to face Weiss. "So what're you doing this afternoon?" Ruby asked.

Weiss looked up from her laptop and glanced out the window. "I… uh… I was going to go into the city for a while. You don't have to come with me."

"No way!" Ruby cried. "I'll come with you. We've been cooped up in this room for ages. Let's go and have some fun!"

Weiss smiled. "Well… okay. If you're sure."

Ruby nodded eagerly. "Of course! Come on. Let me have a shower, and then we can head out."

"Okay," Weiss said. "I'll have one after you, though. _Then_ we can go."

Ruby dashed into the bathroom, stripped and jumped in the shower. As excited as she was to go out, she couldn't help but linger in the shower. After a morning full of playing, a cool shower was the most refreshing thing in the world. She closed her eyes and let out a contented sigh as the water poured down on her. She looked up, towards the shower head, and let the stream of water pour down on her face, washing her hair back.

After far too short a time, there was a knock at the door.

"Ruby?" Weiss asked, her voice muffled by the door between them. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, Weiss. I'm fine," Ruby called out. "Sorry, I'll be out in a minute."

She washed in a hurry, turned off the shower and stepped back into the bedroom with a towel wrapped around her. Weiss looked up as the bathroom door opened, but turned away when she saw Ruby's almost-nudity.

"Ruby!" she hissed. "What're you—"

"Don't worry about it," Ruby said quietly. She glanced over at Yang, making sure she was still asleep. "Just get in the shower already," she added with a grin.

Weiss huffed in frustration and entered the bathroom. Once Ruby heard the shower turn back on, she shed her towel and fished through her drawers for a fresh change of clothes. She pulled out a pair of jeans and a long shirt that flared out at the bottom, almost looking like a short cut dress.

Yang shuffled around on her bed a few times as Ruby dressed, but she didn't wake up, for which Ruby was eternally grateful. Even though Yang was her sister, she didn't want to have to explain why she was standing in the middle of the communal bedroom stark naked.

Ruby was just finishing lacing up her boots when Weiss walked out, snatched up some clothes from the end of her bed, and vanished back into the bathroom. Ruby grabbed her tablet, her wallet, and a guitar pick, and slipped them all into her pockets. She never went anywhere without a pick; one never knew when the opportunity to play the guitar would arise.

Weiss came out of the bathroom, dressed in a pure white outfit: a tight blouse, a skirt, and a light jacket. She had a purse slung over one shoulder, and was wearing her usual high-heeled boots. She gave Ruby a smile and opened the door.

"All ready to go?" she asked.

Ruby nodded. "Let's get to it."

They stepped into the corridor, closed the door behind them and locked it. Then, with a shared smile, they headed towards the main hall, and the train station that waited just outside the school's main doors.

* * *

><p>The sun was hanging high in the clear, blue sky by the time they made it into Vale. Beacon was built on a hilltop just outside the city, overlooking the sprawling the metropolis, and it took a short, ten minute train ride to get from Beacon into the Vale city centre.<p>

Ruby looked up as they stepped out of the train station. The sun was almost directly above them, shining its light and warmth down into the street. The light bounced off the sides of the immense buildings that towered up all around them and filling the area with little patches of reflected light—like all the times, when she was little, that Ruby had held her watch in the sunlight and bounced the light into Yang's eyes.

Ruby spun in a circle, gazing upwards all the while. This was the first time she'd gone into Vale since the semester had started—they'd been too busy over the last few weeks with the song they were writing or rehearsing—and she could barely contain her excitement.

Growing up on Patch—the smaller island off the coast of Vale—as she and Yang had, provided few opportunities to venture into the city. They'd taken a ferry in before—it wasn't her first time in the city—but they'd rarely had the time or freedom to just _explore_, like Ruby was looking forward to doing now.

She stopped spinning and looked down at Weiss, who was watching her with a faintly amused expression.

"So," Ruby said, excitedly. "What's the plan?"

Weiss blinked in surprise. "I thought you had somewhere you wanted to go."

Ruby cocked her head to the side. "No… I don't know the city very well. I've only ever been here a couple of times, and never for very long."

"Oh…" Weiss mumbled. She looked around for a few seconds, watching the people milling about around them. "Well, how about a music store?"

Ruby leapt at the suggestion. "_Really?_ Is there one here?" she squealed.

"Of course there is," Weiss said. "Are you kidding? Vale is the biggest city around for _miles _and one of the biggest on the entire _continent_. How could there_ not_ be a music store?"

Ruby blushed for a moment, but quickly recovered. "So where is it?" she asked, her voice almost pleading.

Weiss looked around, getting her bearings. "It's… uh… this way." She pointed across the road to their right. "It's a little bit of a walk from here, but we should get there in about ten minutes."

The streets of Vale were filled with all kinds of people walking along the streets: groomed businessmen, rough-looking tradesmen, couples, families, and a few Beacon students that Ruby recognised. All of the students that Ruby noticed seemed to be walking in the same direction.

Ruby made most of the conversation as they walked, prattling on about whatever caught her eye. Weiss let her talk without saying much. She replied whenever Ruby asked her a direct question, but for the most part she just walked in silence.

From time to time Ruby caught Weiss looking up and down the street nervously, as if she was looking for someone, or keeping an eye on someone.

It wasn't until they spotted the sign for the music store—across the road ahead, a hundred yards further along the road—that Ruby decided to bring it up.

"Weiss," she said softly. "Is everything okay?"

Weiss flinched at the question and met Ruby's concerned gaze with one of anxiety. She gathered her composure quickly, her usual calm exterior returning within seconds.

"Of course," she said with a smile. "I'm fine."

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? You like you're worried about something, or looking for someone."

Weiss' smile faltered for an instant. "I… I'm just looking for someone. I have an old friend that spends a lot of time around here. I thought I might be able to find them."

Ruby cocked her head to side. "Then why do seem so nervous?"

Weiss took a moment to glance down the street again. "We had a… falling out the last time we met. And I don't quite know how he'd react if he saw me again."

"Oooh! 'He', huh?" Ruby asked, her voice layered with curiosity. "Is he an old boyfriend?"

Weiss smiled slightly at Ruby's sudden, innocent curiosity, though it quickly faded. "Something like that," she mumbled.

Ruby's smile vanished as she saw Weiss' sudden sadness. "Oh, Weiss… Sorry. I… uh… That was dumb thing to say."

Weiss gave her a smile. "Don't worry about it. You weren't to know. Come on, the store's just there. Let's go look at some instruments and forget it ever happened."

A grin spread across Ruby's face. "Okay. Sounds good."

They walked the last hundred yards to the music shop in silence. Ruby had to force herself to walk, had to restrain herself from running, but, eventually, they made it to the door. Weiss pulled it open and Ruby held her breath as they stepped across the threshold.


	5. Chapter 5

It was immense. That was her first thought. It was the size of a warehouse, with a set of stairs at the back at that led up to a platform above them. There were hundreds of different instruments hanging from the walls and even more on stands—or standing alone—on the floor. There were racks of music books, CDs, and instrument accessories near the door, and soundproof booths near the back, for testing out instruments.

Ruby tried to squeal in delight, but her lungs were full from the breath she'd held as they entered, and all that came out was a gargled choking noise.

Weiss leant forward, looking at Ruby. "Are you okay?"

Ruby, who was struggling to get air out of her lungs, nodded frantically. As Weiss' brow furrowed in concern, Ruby heaved in a huge, gasping breath.

"OhmygodohmygodohmygodohmyGOD!" Ruby squealed. "_Weiss!_ How have we never been here before?"

Weiss blinked in surprise and took a step back, away from Ruby's sudden onslaught. Ruby gaped at Weiss for a moment longer—as if she were genuinely horrified that Weiss hadn't told her about the place earlier—then she was gone. Weiss looked around, utterly bewildered; then she spotted Ruby halfway across the room, standing in front of a wall of guitars. Weiss shook her head, grinning despite herself and wandered over to the pianos.

Ruby was standing in front of the biggest collection of guitar she'd ever seen. She couldn't do anything but just gaze upwards longingly, wanting all of them. There were some amazingly ornate guitars hanging near the top, carved with such finesse that she couldn't even begin to imagine how long it would've taken to make, let alone how much it would _cost._

"You like guitars?"

Ruby looked to her right. There was a tall, blonde man standing next to her. He couldn't have been any older than Yang. He was gazing up at the guitars as well, with his own look wonder.

"Yeah," Ruby said as she looked back up the guitars. "I love them."

He folded his arms and gave her a sidelong look. "Do you play?"

Ruby folded her arms right back and raised an eyebrow at him. "Hell yeah I do."

The man snorted in laughter and unfolded his arms. "That's good to hear. You'd be surprised how few people that come here actually play what they're looking at."

He turned to face her and Ruby caught sight of a nametag with the store's logo on it. _Well that explains why he suddenly started talking to me._

He gestured up at the wall and gave her a grin. "So, you see any you want to try out?"

Ruby looked back up at the wall and scanned the guitars. They all looked so nice. She wanted to try them all. But there was a part of her—her 'musical weirdo' side—that didn't want to cheat on Crescent Rose.

She shook her head. "Nah, I'm just looking."

The man frowned. "Really? You sure?"

"Yeah," Ruby said with a lop-sided smile. "I've got my own sitting back in my room. I don't know what she'd say if she found out I played a guitar other than her."

He looked at her for a second, with one eyebrow raised, then burst into laughter. "Okay, fair enough. I know that feeling."

Ruby's smile spread into a grin.

"Well, I'm going to head back to work then," he said. "Feel free to look around. Stay as long as you want—as long as you're out by six. Give me a shout if you need any help with anything. The name's Jaune," he added, flicking his name tag.

Ruby nodded. "Alright, thanks. I'll let you know."

Jaune nodded again and walked past her, towards the counter.

Ruby continued to browse, enraptured by the collection of instruments. Once she finished browsing the guitars, she looked through the basses, then went upstairs to look at drum kits and speaker systems.

After an hour of mindlessly browsing the store, Ruby stood at the top of the stairs and looked down into the ground floor, searching for Weiss. She hadn't seen her white-haired friend since they'd entered the shop and, while it hadn't bothered her at first, she was beginning to get worried. But Weiss was nowhere to be seen.

Jaune was standing next to a tall red-headed girl who was holding a violin, talking animatedly; and there a few other random patrons, inspecting various instruments. A few of them Ruby recognised vaguely from school, but she couldn't seem to find Weiss.

Ruby made her way around to the stairs, her heart in her throat. She had no idea what had happened to Weiss, or where she'd went. They were in the middle of a crowded city, who knew what might have happened to her.

Ruby was halfway down the stairs when she spotted Weiss walking into the store through the front door. She looked worried and anxious, but otherwise unharmed. Ruby crossed the store quickly, reaching Weiss in a matter of seconds.

"Hey, where were you?" she asked. "I've been looking for you."

Weiss smiled apologetically. "Sorry, I was outside, looking for my… friend."

"You _could_ have let me know!"

"Sorry, I didn't think. I was a little preoccupied; I'm not feeling too well today."

Now that she mentioned it, Ruby noticed that Weiss did look a little paler than usual.

"Well then," Ruby said with a smile. "I've finished looking around here. We can come back for a better shopping trip later. What say we go and get something to eat?"

Weiss looked out the window for a second and then turned back, nodding. "Sure, sounds nice. I know a little café just up the street from here; it's not far."

"Awesome," Ruby said. "Let's go."

Ruby took one last glance back at the store as they walked to the door. She caught Jaune's gaze and waved goodbye to him; he waved back, over the shoulder of the girl he was talking to. Weiss opened the door and the sudden burst of sunlight was blinding to Ruby. Nevertheless, she followed her friend out the door and back into the crowded, busy street of Vale.

* * *

><p>Blake stood outside, gazing up at the sky. She'd been walking back to the dorm after her meeting with her bass tutor, when a passing shadow had caught her eye. Her tutor was a Faunus and liked to stay outdoors whenever possible; something to do with what animal her Faunus side had taken, Blake was sure, but it was generally considered bad manners amongst Faunus to ask what animal that was.<p>

Blake now looked upwards, watching a lonely cloud—the only one she could see in the sky—slowly drifting away. Something about clouds had always captured her imagination. Something about floating free, above the ground, free of hatred, discrimination and other worldly troubles.

As Blake watched, the cloud slowly split into two. One smaller chunk of cloud drifted away from the rest, unravelling into wispy threads until it vanished entirely. Something about it made her feel uneasy, though she couldn't determine exactly why.

She turned away, towards the dorm, and swung her bass around her as she walked—it had been hanging off her back, for easy transportation. Now she grabbed the neck with her left hand, pressing down on one of the strings and plucked it with one of the fingers of her right hand. She walked towards the dorm with her eyes glued to the neck, playing through a progression of notes and gradually drifting into a quiet practice of _From Shadows._

It felt nice to play the bass with her fingers. The music that White Fang had played tended to be heavier songs, very fast paced and aggressive, and she'd been almost forced to play them with a pick. But there was something about feeling the strings move under her fingers that enraptured her. It made the music feel… physical; more real. As much as she still loved the type of music that White Fang had played, she was glad to be able to play the way she wanted to—at least until she was skilled enough to play songs that fast-paced without a pick.

And that was why she'd come to Beacon: to improve. She'd felt the drive for years; the need to always be getting better, to show up those who'd told her that she'd never amount to anything. She'd gotten a taste of that with White Fang; they'd certainly been successful. But, as much as it pained Blake to admit it, becoming popular among the human population had been the worst thing for the band. She craved that niche fan base they'd started with, the few people who understood what they were fighting for with their music—when they still had to fight for the their place in the world.

They'd been about Faunus rights—fighting for their own rights to be whatever they wanted to be. She'd wanted to make the band popular through their own efforts; through their blood, sweat and tears. Instead, the _humans_ in charge of Grimm Studios had handed them that popularity on a silver platter.

It felt condescending. Like a pat on the head to a child, scared of the monster in the closet. Once they'd been handed global popularity by Grimm, they'd lost all credibility, lost the right to fight. It wasn't long before Blake had grown sick of it all. She was honestly surprised she'd lasted as long as she _had_;long enough for Yang to learn who she was, and to make her first night at Beacon an awkward night of explanations and rationalisations.

Blake sighed at the thought of Yang—no doubt still asleep where Blake had left her almost two hours ago. It had taken Yang a week or so to fully relax around Blake. She'd often tense up whenever she met Blake's gaze, or Blake would catch Yang staring at her in admiration. That had hurt more than anything else. How could she tell Yang that none of her admiration was deserved? She hadn't _done_ anything. They'd been a local band in a small town, barely in sight of Vale, until a Grimm agent had shown up at one of their shows. Then, almost overnight, they were famous all over Remnant, through no work of their own. Every admiring look she'd received was like a dagger to the heart, reminding her of how far White Fang had fallen, how they'd sold out so _easily._

Blake came to a sudden stop when she realised she was standing outside her dorm room already. She blinked in surprised and looked up and down the corridor, making sure she actually was where she thought she was. She knew getting lost was normally Ruby's thing, but the walk had seemed to flash by, faster than she was used to.

She sighed. Thinking about White Fang, about Adam, about her past, always did that. She'd get lost inside her own head for hours before resurfacing, so reaching her dorm so quickly really didn't come as that much of a surprise.

She swung her bass back over her shoulder, letting the head hang down near the ground, and opened the door. The room was dark. By this time of the day, the sun was on the other side of the school and wouldn't be shining in their window, though they should be getting _some_ light, but all the curtains had been drawn, and none of the lights were on.

Yang was lying on her bed, still dressed, curled into a small ball, and snoring lightly. Blake couldn't help but smile; she looked adorable, very different from her normal, brash persona. A shaft of light from the open door shone into the room, and directly onto Yang's face, making her shift in her sleep and roll over with a small moan. Blake stifled a giggle at the sound.

Blake closed the door as quietly as she could and tip-toed to her bed. The bed creaked slightly as she sat down—the kind of creak one only hears when they're trying to be quiet—and she winced. She scooted back and leant against her bed head, swinging her bass around onto her lap.

One of the great things about basses, Blake mused, was that, when they weren't plugged in, they were a lot quieter than normal guitars. And, while playing with her fingers, she could control how loud it went a lot easier as well. So she settled back and continued playing quietly while Yang snored in the bed next to her.

She was halfway through _This Will Be the Day_ when Yang started mumbling.

Blake paused, mid-chorus, and looked over at her. Yang rolled back over, so she was facing towards Blake, mumbled a few more indecipherable words, and lapsed back into silence. Blake chuckled quietly, shook her head, and started the chorus over again.

She finished the song and, as the last note was dying away, Yang mumbled something else. This time Blake put her bass to the side and swung her feet off the edge of the bed. She sat forward, listening intently in an attempt to make out what Yang was saying. There were a few more incoherent ramblings before Blake finally managed to understand any of it.

"Ruby, what're you doing?" Yang mumbled. Blake raised an eyebrow. What _was_ she dreaming about?

"Ruby, calm down, it'll be okay."

Blake's brow furrowed.

"Ruby, please, just calm down." Yang's voice took on a hint of desperation, pleading.

"Ruby! Come back! I know it hurts, but you can't— _RUBY, NO!_"

Yang jolted awake and shot upright as she screamed. Her face was covered with sweat, some of it dripping off her chin as she panted. Her gaze flicked hurriedly around the room, as if in a panic, like she didn't know where she was. A moment later, Yang relaxed, though her breathing was still hurried and she looked pale, frightened.

Yang looked down and closed her eyes as she forcefully slowed down her breathing in an attempt to calm herself down. After a few seconds she opened her eyes again and flopped back against her pillow with a heavy sigh.

Blake sat where she had been ever since Yang's apparent nightmare had started, frozen in place. She didn't know what to do, what to say, or even if she _should_ do anything.

Yang turned her head toward Blake. "Sorry about that. What were you saying?"

Blake stared at her for a few seconds before bursting into laughter. Yang grinned as Blake toppled backwards, giggling madly. It took Blake a little while to recover, but she gradually composed herself. She spun around, lying on her side, head on her pillow, looking at Yang; she was panting slightly form laughing so hard, but she'd recovered enough to give Yang a concerned look.

Yang's smile gradually faded. "So I guess you heard some of that, huh?"

Blake nodded. "It sounded bad."

Yang sighed. "Yeah… You could say that."

Blake was a little unsure of what to say, but decided to take a leap of faith. "You… want to talk about it?"

Yang chuckled bitterly. "Not much to talk about, really."

"Then it shouldn't take long then," Blake said with a lop-sided smile.

Yang shot her a look and broke into a grin as she saw Blake's smile. "Yeah, I guess not…" She took a deep breath before she continued. "Maybe I should rephrase: there's not much I _can_ say. A lot of it is some really personal stuff to Ruby, and I wouldn't go behind her back and tell people without her knowing. I guess, to cut a long story short, Ruby and I lost… someone when we were younger. Neither of us handled it particularly well, but Ruby… Well, it was bad. Even now, she _still_ hasn't fully gotten over it. And, sometimes, I still have nightmares about it, about what happened… and what happened after."

Blake lay on her bed in silence, taking in what Yang had said. She opened her mouth to reply, but Yang cut her off.

"Anyway, enough of that! No sense dwelling on stuff like that, let's go do something fun!" Yang jumped off her bed, standing in a dramatic pose in the middle of the room.

Blake smiled and nodded. If Yang wanted it dropped, Blake would drop it. She knew better than anyone how it felt to want to keep issues away from other people, to sort them out alone.

"What did you have in mind?" Blake asked.

"Hmm…" Yang pondered. "We could go into the city after Ruby and Weiss? Try and meet up with them? Or… just hang out around here, I guess."

Blake smiled. "I'm happy with either, though I _have_ been meaning to do some reading lately… I've slacked off recently, what with all this rehearsing we've done."

"Oh… reading, huh…" Yang muttered.

"We _can_ go into the city if you'd prefer," Blake said.

Yang shook her head. "It's fine. We can stay here. To the gardens?"

Blake nodded with a smile, and fished the book she was reading from her bag. It wasn't until they shut the door behind them that Blake began to wonder how much reading she'd actually be able to do with Yang coming along.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Okay, this was meant to be the last chapter in this little... 'arc'—for lack of a better word—but this whole Blake thing kind of grew into something a bit bigger than I'd intended. So _Chapter 6 _is going to round off this little bit of set-up, and then we can get into more interesting things.**


	6. Chapter 6

It was a very classy café. There were small crystal chandeliers hanging above each table, and all of the cutlery was pure silverware. Each table was covered in a thin, white tablecloth, all perfectly bleached and unstained. The other patrons were dressed in suits, dresses, and all sort of fashionable attire; there for business meetings and—_very_ high class—family lunches. The whole café had stopped when Ruby and Weiss walked in to applaud a couple getting engaged in the far corner of the room.

Ruby had never felt more out of place in her life.

A waitress led Ruby and Weiss to a table on the raised terrace outside that Weiss had requested. Ruby followed Weiss, leaving her bottom jaw where it had dropped near the door.

Despite the café's extravagance, or perhaps because of it, Ruby found herself wondering why it had been built where it was. They walked out onto the terrace and could see a park off to the left, the light of the sun reflecting off the surface of a lake near its edge. In front of them, and to the right, was simply a view of the streets, people milling back and forth, going about their business. It looked like the kind of place that should've been built on top of a hill, overlooking the ocean, but instead it was in the middle of the commercial district of Vale.

"There's a reason it's called The Oasis," Weiss said as they sat down.

Ruby looked up in surprise; it was the first thing Weiss has said to her since they left the shop. Weiss took menus from the waitress and told her they'd call when they were ready to order. The waitress bobbed her head in a small bow and walked back inside.

"This café," Weiss continued as she turned back to Ruby and saw her confused expression. "It's called The Oasis. It's like a small taste of upper class, in the middle of the… not-so-upper-class section of the city."

Ruby looked off towards the park. "Oh… Well that makes sense… I guess."

"So you've been here before?" Ruby asked, looking at Weiss.

Weiss shrugged and looked out at the streets below them. "A couple of times; I don't get to this part of the city very often."

Ruby leant forward, resting her elbows on the table. "So you're from around here, then?"

Weiss didn't say anything. She looked out at the streets, watching people walking past them, in utter silence. The sounds of cars driving past and aircraft flying overhead seemed to get louder as seconds dragged by. Ruby folded up as Weiss continued to say nothing, hunching over in her chair. She dropped her gaze to the table and frowned. Weiss was often reluctant to talk about herself, but this was the first time she'd cut Ruby out completely.

Ruby looked down at the table cloth as the silence dragged on and noticed an embossed pattern, zig-zagging across the fabric. A moment after noticing its existence—having nothing else to do—she found herself tracing it with her eyes, back and forth across the table. She followed the pattern further and further, towards Weiss' side of the table. She almost flinched when her gaze passed over Weiss' hand, then furrowed her brow in concern when she noticed Weiss' hand was closed in a trembling fist.

Weiss suddenly shot to her feet, her chair scraping against the floor. Ruby's head whipped upwards as she shot Weiss a worried look. Weiss didn't even notice; she was staring intently into the street. Ruby tried to follow Weiss' gaze, to see what she was staring at, but couldn't see anything that stood out.

"Wait here," Weiss said. She didn't even look at Ruby as she spoke; she was still staring into the street below. "I'll be back in a minute."

Ruby opened her mouth to protest, but Weiss stormed back inside before she could get a word out. Ruby slumped back into her seat with a sigh as she watched Weiss weave through the interior of the café and out through the front door. When Weiss disappeared from view, Ruby dropped her gaze back to the table and frowned.

"Great job, Ruby," she muttered miserably. She poked at her fork, idly rocking it back and forth on its curved handle.

She sighed. "Now what?"

The sun passed behind one of the massive buildings across the road, casting Ruby's table in shadow. She glanced up towards the building in question, feeling a little annoyed at it for blocking her sunlight, just as a holographic screen blinked into existence on the side of it.

A young, attractive woman was sitting behind a news desk, wearing a snugly fitting suit. There wasn't any sound, but Ruby could read the headline of the news bulletin.

_Winter Schnee arrested in police raid._

Subtitles ran along the bottom of the screen as the woman began talking.

_Winter Schnee, member of the infamous Schnee crime family, has been arrested today in a police raid in downtown Atlas. Police received an anonymous tip to the address of a large Dust shipment on its way out of Atlas, reportedly bound for Vale. Upon arrival the officers found a large number of Schnee family employees, who were quick to open fire. An assault team was sent in quickly, and quickly ended the hostilities. _

_Upon entering the loaded ship, officers found over a tonne of Dust, making this the largest seizure of the narcotic to date. Hidden amongst the ship's cargo, the officers found Winter Schnee stowed away, presumably hiding from authorities. She is reported to have put up little resistance._

_The Schnee crime family came into the limelight twenty years ago and have become infamous for the manufacture and distribution of Dust—a highly addictive stimulant. While the identities of many of the Schnee family members have been known for years, and some members have been arrested in the past, the courts have yet to be able to successfully convict due to lack of evidence. Authorities believe that this raid will provide sufficient evidence to convict Winter Schnee, and will present an opportunity to gain more evidence against the syndicate._

The screen suddenly went dark and blinked off. Looking at the side of the building now, it was impossible to tell there had even been a screen there moments before.

Ruby slumped, resting her head on the table and closing her eyes. Weiss hadn't come back yet. Ruby had sat through a whole boring, pointless news broadcast—even _payed attention to it_—and Weiss still wasn't back.

Ruby opened her eyes and shot to feet. She wasn't going to just sit here, bored to death. If Weiss was taking too long, then Ruby would go find her.

She blinked in surprise as she realised Weiss standing across from her, frozen in the middle of sitting down. She was blinking at Ruby in shock. Ruby stared back.

"Oh… You're back."

They both stared at each other for a moment longer, then slowly sat down.

"Yeah, sorry about that," Weiss said. She gave Ruby what looked like a genuinely apologetic smile. "I saw my friend and thought I'd better run out and catch him before he left."

"Oh… okay." Ruby glanced out into the street, then realised that it was pointless; she wouldn't know who Weiss' friend was even if he _was _still there. She looked back at Weiss and gave her a smile. "That's alright. You could have let me know, though. I was starting to get worried."

Weiss smiled apologetically again. "I know, I know. Sorry. I just… you know…"

"Aren't feeling well today?"

"Yeah," Weiss' smile changed to one of gratitude. "Yeah, wasn't thinking straight."

Ruby smiled back. "Don't worry about it. Are you feeling any better? You look less pale than you did before."

"A little better; I'm sure getting something to eat would help settle my stomach."

Ruby grinned. "Sounds good." She picked up a menu and skimmed through it. Everything sounded so fancy and exotic. She had no idea where to even begin. She peeked at Weiss over the top of her menu. "Do you, uh, have any recommendations?"

Weiss smiled over the top of her menu. She looked back down for a few seconds, browsing, then suggested a few simple sounding dishes. Once Ruby had decided on something, Weiss called the waitress over and placed both of their orders, as well as ordering each of them an iced coffee.

"There's nothing like one of their iced coffees on a warm day," Weiss said with a smile. "They're amazing!"

Ruby smiled back, eager to try one. She felt a wave of relief wash through her: Weiss seemed to be back to normal—maybe in an even better mood than normal. But, after Weiss' purposeful ignorance of Ruby before her abrupt exit, Ruby was just grateful that they were talking again; she barely noticed that Weiss' happiness seemed a little… out of character.

She_ did_ notice however that Weiss' colour—as little as the strangely pale girl normally had—had returned. Apparently finally meeting her friend had been enough to return Weiss to normal. Though Ruby was growing ever more curious as to whom this mysterious friend was, she was couldn't help but smile at Weiss' renewed happiness.

They chatted amicably as the sun drifted out from behind the building across the road and caressed them with its warmth. Weiss was happy to talk about the city and other places they could visit. In particular she mentioned a spot on the edge of the city, near Beacon, that overlooked the ocean. Weiss suggested walking through the city to get there. It would take them a while longer than the train, but it would give Ruby a chance to see more of the city and would probably get them there in time to watch the sunset.

Ruby agreed. She hadn't spent anywhere near enough time in the city to suggest anything different and was eager to see as much of it as she could, even if it was just to mark out other places to visit on a later trip.

The waitress' return cut off their conversation. She carried a large, silver tray, with their meals and drinks on top of it. She gently placed plates of food in front of Ruby and Weiss, followed by their iced coffees. The meals looked as elegant as the rest of the café; the iced coffees were pure decadence, with a more than generous dollop of cream on top with a stick of chocolate sticking out.

Ruby looked at her meal eagerly, but she almost drooled on the table at the sight of the coffee. Weiss picked up a small spoon and gave Ruby a lascivious smile as she scooped up a small amount of cream into her mouth, closing her eyes as she slowly pulled the spoon from between her lips.

They both giggled quietly as Ruby scooped off her own spoonful of cream. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise as it hit her tongue: it was the best tasting cream she'd ever had. They'd even managed to flavour it with a hint of coffee.

Ruby realised that they were getting strange looks from people around them and blushed. Weiss noticed the blush and glanced around. Her own cheeks were just as quick to turn red once she noticed the onlookers. The girls looked down at their plates and ate in embarrassed silence. It wasn't until they were halfway through their meals that they looked up again but, when they did, they burst into a fit of giggles, as quiet as they could make them.

Ruby smiled again as she looked back down at her plate. She was glad she had Weiss as a friend.

* * *

><p>They'd finished their meals quickly—though they stayed longer than necessary to savour the coffees—and were now walking away from The Oasis will full stomachs, following the sun towards the coast. Ruby looked around the city as they walked, absorbing everything she saw and noting in folder in her brain titled 'PLACES TO EXPLORE'.<p>

The shops and restaurants thinned out as they walked, until they were surrounded by offices and banks. Vale was apparently built so that everything was in sections. Commercial, industrial, business, they rarely mixed and an office in the commercial district was often the only one on the street.

They continued their friendly conversation as they walked through crowds of smartly dressed business men and women—all on their way home—though the topics of discussion had been reduced to whatever new sight caught Ruby's curiosity. Weiss seemed to know everything about Vale, even about all the businesses—which Ruby found odd. She knew so much that Ruby was almost certain now that Weiss was from Vale, and from a successful, upper-class family, though she was too scared to ask and confirm, not after Weiss' complete emotional shut-down the last time Ruby had asked about it.

Their long walk continued. The sun began to sink behind the buildings, and the sky slowly turned red. The buildings around them changed from office buildings to apartment complexes and all of a sudden they were on the edge of the city. There was a park in front of them. It was mostly grass with a few trees, there was a large playground—Ruby fought the temptation—and barbecue areas. On the other side of the park, she could see a beach, pure, white sand and crystal clear water.

Weiss led Ruby up a hill to their left. Ruby noticed a train station at the top of the hill and idly wondered when the trains back to Beacon stopped running.

Weiss turned right down a small pathway leading through a small corridor of trees. Ruby started wondering where they were going when—ocean.

It stretched out before her endlessly. Waves lapped at the shore below them, unheard under the sound of a wind that picked up and blew past them, mussing Ruby's hair. She grabbed the errant locks and held them down by her neck so she could see clearly.

People said that sunsets were red, but that wasn't true. Ruby looked up at the sky as the sun hit the horizon and the entire sky was changing. The horizon was red; that much was true. All around the sinking sun, now thankfully dim enough to look at, was a vibrant crimson. But the higher Ruby looked, the lighter the sky looked. It changed from that deep red to a smooth orange, to yellow, then green, blue and violet. The entire sky was alive; an enormous, awe-inspiring rainbow.

"You noticed the rainbow, huh?" Weiss asked. "I've always loved coming here to look at it. It's pretty interesting how it works too; the light from the sun hits the atmosphere at an angle and refracts off in all different—" Ruby could hear Weiss' voice keep talking, but she couldn't hear the words themselves anymore. She was lost somewhere else.

_"Isn't it pretty, Ruby?"_

Ruby gazed upwards, losing herself in the sight, and couldn't help but nod.

_"It's like normal rainbows but, instead of light bouncing off water, it hits the air instead. Isn't it funny how the world works? During the day the sun gets all hot and burns you if stay out too long, but if you come out at the right time… You see this."_

Ruby felt tears welling up in her eyes and quickly dashed them away. She hoped Weiss hadn't seen the motion. Now she fought back the tears. _No. Don't get sad. Not for her. _

Anger welled up in Ruby's chest, holding the tears at bay. Anger was good. She could deal with anger.

_"No, sweetie, I haven't shown Yang. Ha ha why? I don't know… I wasn't sure if she'd like it, you know how she is. You can bring her along with you if you'd like, if you ever want to come and see it again."_

_Anger, Ruby, anger. _She clenched her fists and closed her eyes as tears spilled over. Weiss was still talking, but even that was a barely audible murmur in the background now.

_"Come on, it's getting late. We should head back. Shall we grab an ice-cream on the way back? Ha ha, silly question, huh?"_

Ruby turned away, turned her back on the sunset, on the memories. But that didn't stop them.

_"Here you go, sweetie, one cookies and cream ice-cream. Now you have to promise to keep this our little secret. What would Daddy say if he knew I'd bought you an ice-cream _before_ dinner? Ha ha."_

Ruby heard Weiss' voice in the background, filled with concern, but still couldn't understand what she was saying.

_"Are you sure you aren't just saying that because I just bought you an ice-cream? No? Well I love you too, Ruby. More than anything. Don't you ever forget that."_

Ruby pressed her arm against a tree and leant forward, fighting the urge to throw up. Tears ran down her cheeks and dripped onto the ground. She watched them fall, sparkling in the diminishing sunlight before splattering against the ground, like stars vanishing in the darkness.

_"I'll always love you, Ruby."_

Ruby pushed away from the tree and staggered down the path, away from the lookout. She needed to get out of the light; hide in the shadows.

_"I'll always be here for you, Ruby."_

She dry-retched, falling to her knees.

_"I love you more than anything."_

She punched the ground, her fist thudding painfully into the ground.

_"I'll always take care of you, whenever you need me."_

A hand grabbed Ruby's shoulder. Ruby flinched and spun around, falling onto her back.

Weiss was kneeling down, her face full of concern and confusion. Her mouth moved, but all Ruby heard was a muffled hum. Ruby looked past Weiss, past the canopy of trees that danced in the wind, to the sky, which was now beginning to lose its colour.

_"I love you, Ruby."_

"Ruby!" Weiss' voice cut through the haze that Ruby had been lost in. "_Ruby!_"

Ruby blinked and her eyes focussed on Weiss. Weiss stopped calling her name but was still eyeing her with concern, and now a trace of fear.

Ruby sat up, rubbing at the back of her head. She brushed away a small collection of twigs and dead leaves that had gotten stuck in her hair and smiled reassuringly up at Weiss.

"Sorry about that."

Weiss just gaped at her.

"_Sorry!?_" Weiss took a step back, straightening up, and a hint of indignance crossed her face. "Ruby, you started crying, for _no_ reason! I was freaking out! What the hell happened?"

Ruby floundered for words, unsure of what to say. "I… I don't know. I just… I felt sick all of a sudden."

Weiss' eyebrows nearly shot off her face. "_Sick_? You expect me to believe that?"

"Yes," Ruby said firmly. "I must have caught whatever you had earlier today."

Weiss' mouth, already open to reply, snapped shut. She eyed Ruby suspiciously for a moment, then relaxed—though she still looked concerned. "Are you feeling better now?"

"Much." Ruby gave her a smile as proof.

Weiss raised an eyebrow but smiled and rolled her eyes a moment later. "Well okay then. Shall we go back? Or do you want to stay and watch the sun set?"

Ruby didn't even need to think about it. "Let's go."

Weiss nodded and held out a hand to help Ruby up. Ruby got to her feet and dusted herself off before following Weiss back down the path and out onto the street. She caught up to Weiss quickly. As they turned to head towards the train station at the top of the hill, Weiss placed a hand on Ruby's shoulder, just for a second, and then let it fall back to her side.

That touch seemed to spark something else. Another memory. Yang's voice, young, confused and sad.

_"Ruby… Mom's dead."_

Ruby shivered. She felt an ember of anger welling in her chest once again. She looked back through the memories that had haunted her at the lookout, coaxing the fire.

Unseen to the pair, the sun sank below the horizon with a flash of green and the rainbow painted across the sky began to fade into darkness.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And here we are, where the story really starts. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, I certainly had a lot of fun writing it. As ever, reviews are most appreciated, I love hearing from readers. :)**

**Anywho, see y'all next time!**


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